Chap 3:

I limped away from the river, much less enamored of the Arda than I was previously. If I still had two legs instead of eight I wouldn't have been walking at all after a strike like that. Like so many other witches and wizards I'd grown incautious of any danger that didn't come from a wand. Still, I questioned how the creature had done so much damage. The chitin over my legs was strong, impervious against thorns and most anything else I'd come across.

Discovery of his fallen sword answered much of the question. For all that he was some foaming-at-the-mouth barbarian, the short sword (dagger?) showed marks of godlike craftsmanship. No matter how meticulously I peered along its length I couldn't find a single imperfection. Much like the ring he'd carried it was relatively plain but expertly made. An impulsive lick revealed that it tasted ever so faintly of magic. Curious to test my newfound skill at tasting something that couldn't be tasted I licked the ring as well. The magic there was sour and spicy but far, far more potent.

At first I'd thought the ring too small for me but it slid onto my finger like it was made for it. I barely had time to admire the look of it before gasping as heat blossomed in my foreleg. Reaching with dread at what I might find, I encountered only smooth exoskeleton. My wound was healed without a trace. "Well aren't you just a precious little thing." I stroked the gold lightly, eyes widening as the faintest hint of letters appeared on its surface. They disappeared before I could do anything more than note they looked foreign from anything I knew.

A ring of healing that could heal a deep wound in seconds… it was truly a treasure. Every witch and wizard new basic charms, but enchanting items was a rare skill. Rarer still was the creation of items of true power. Most legendary items were created centuries or even millennia ago, and those few that weren't had mostly been made by goblins. Given that the goblins tended to make swords and battleaxes almost exclusively, a ring like this coming on the market could command a sizeable sum from collectors and duelists. Not that I had any intention of selling it. A find like this was once in a lifetime, and those runes were begging to be examined. The sword was a different story though. It would likely only grant me some pocket money but that was fine, I wanted it gone at the first opportunity. Having the sword around bothered me for some reason, likely the memory of it cutting into me. If I was a less sensible soul I'd follow the impulse to just throw it into the river and have done with it.

The intelligent spiders, the incredibly well-made magic items, it was all quite a bit more than I was expecting. Even just enjoying the scenery had been spectacular last year, but this was so exciting I hardly wanted to go back to school. Learning had always been a passion of mind, but ever since the time turner had granted me time away from perpetually studying for the next test I'd discovered I had a love for exploring as well. There was more to learn in the world(s) than could be found in books.

I sighed and jumped back through the portal, chill Scottish wind brushing over my human half as I alighted on the Astronomy tower. 'Oops.' Hastily I reapplied my stolen invisibility cloak and layered illusion charms until I looked half-way normal. Out of pride I didn't even use my wand, though it did take more energy and concentration out of me. It was nice to successfully cast 6th year charms after completely screwing up a 0th year lumos charm of all things.

My stomachs growled, the sound ominous enough that I considered casting silencio on myself as I scurried double-time to the kitchens. Harry and Ron would worry terribly though if I came begging to them to remove the curse. 'Note to self, practice casting finite incantem wordlessly and wandlessly.' Considering the number of curses thrown around in Hogwarts and the gaggle of dark wizards lurking about it was surprising that it wasn't part of the curriculum. Then again, with the caliber of most DADA teachers considered it wasn't actually that shocking.

The smells from the kitchen had me slavering, wishing I hadn't cut my spider-venom-liquefied meal short back in Arda. I was so hungry I knew from experience I could eat a whole chicken or two. Perhaps a nice raw mackerel as well. Though whatever it was they were cooking smelled wonderful as well. It wasn't any scent I recognized. Something from the magical world perhaps?

It was a little depressing when all the house elves teleported away the moment I entered the kitchen. It was as if the nightmares I had of my friends running away from me as a giant spider had come to my life. Thankfully they swiftly blinked back in, catching ladles and spatulas before they could hit the ground. If I squinted it was just as I remembered, but a few things were off. Even as they said their normal warm, alt-grammered greetings every house-elf kept a wary eye as I wandered down the aisle. I didn't recall them being quite so flighty back when I was fully human, excluding during my misexecuted plan to free them from service last year. I had to wonder if they didn't see through illusions somehow. Either that or they instinctively recognized a predator and were picking up on me thinking they looked vaguely edible, that one with the burnt hand more than most…

Mentally slapping myself I focused on remembering that house-elves were sentient beings, not food - even if they were bite-sized. 'Arrrgh.' It would be easier not to eat it if I knew its name. Throwing on my best closed-lipped fangless smile I drew up beside the house-elf as it cowered like prey. "What's your name, little one."

"She is being L-l-l-lindy, your h-highness."

A girl, how about that. The 'highness' bit was rather over the top but as wrong as it was I couldn't say I disliked it. What girl doesn't grow up wanting to be a magical princess. The way Lindy was hiding behind a pot of stew was disheartening though. "Do you mind if I heal your hand?"

"Queen Her-mee-oh-ninny should not waste t-t-time on unworthy Lindy."

"I insist," I said, drawing my wand. Lindy cautiously extended her hand, eyes closed as if she didn't want to see me bite it off. "Aloe esfresca!" A cool green mist left my wand, sinking into Lindy's hand. In moments the worst of the burn was gone.

Lindy was silent for a moment before abruptly screeching, "Your highness is being most gracious!"

After that things went smoothly. Their gratitude combined with their natural shyness and politeness I was confident they'd keep my secret if indeed they knew it. Meal after bloody-rare meal was brought my way by house-elves that were shocked to see a witch do anything kind for them. The food was all so good that I kept asking for more courses. It was only after a brainfreeze from too much homemade ice cream that I looked at the clock.

'Bloody hell, 9:00? I've been eating for two hours.' Strangely, I still felt nearly as hungry as when I'd started, though my stomachs felt rather full. Admittedly I'd stopped dieting after becoming half spider, but I was never this much of a glutton. There had to be some reason for my sudden change in appetite. Oh god, I wasn't molting was I? A surreptitious check under the invisibility cloak revealed no signs of bursting carapace. 'Phew.' The only other thing that might have changed today besides the long run was…

The ring. That golden, beautiful, marvelously enchanted ring. I should have known it was too good to be true. No artifact that small carried that much power without a price - or a minor or major deity intervening if you believed the old tales. In this case the healing apparently came at the price of endless appetite. Not the sort of thing to wear 24/7 unless I wanted to spend all my time snacking, but it could still be handy on occasion.

Slipping the ring off I felt my appetite ease almost immediately. Letting a touch of magic course over its golden surface the runes once more glimmered on its surface before swiftly fading. I had to wonder if those runes were hiding any other side-effects. Even just the one was enough to drop its resale value immeasurably. My dream of becoming a millionaire before eighteen had basically gone up in smoke.

Glumly I set the ring spinning, only faintly surprised when it failed to stop spinning on the table. Physics, it seemed, held an imperfect hold on it. Somewhat more shocking was the greedy, moderately hypnotized look in Lindy's eyes as she zombie-stepped towards the ring. Swiftly pocketing the ring I watched intently as her expression switched from sinister to bewildered. 'Note to self, don't flash shiny things in front of small humanoids.' One such creature attacking me for the ring was quite enough, thank you very much.

Deciding it was time to part I double-checked my illusions and left before she could ask me about the ring. Detouring briefly the grab my books from the dorms I made it to Care of Magical Creatures with seconds to spare. At least I hadn't missed any important classes. I still felt terribly guilty for missing History of Magic, but if I was honest it was hardly as if I'd missed anything important. I'd double up on my reading tonight though, just to be safe.

End 3.1